Wishes for a Reboot..

[Arsenal]

I can think of several things I'd like to go back to 1999 on. (cough) Star Wars (cough)

… The Phantom Menace?

[Shamrock Holmes]

I think that the biggest missed opportunity with the New 52 reboot is that they didn't plan it out in advance and clearly lay out what had changed and what hadn't. I also think that - given that they did debut a full reboot continuity at the same time they could have easily 'had their cake and ate it' if they'd retcon'd only the comics that had been published since Final Crisis (pretty much erasing only BN/BD and Reign of Doomsday, the former could be redone anyway and the latter was a throwaway event that IFAIK nobody particularly liked), use something like Multiversity (a far superior mini than FP IMO) to explore the fact that other continuities exists and to 'infodump' (ala the old Secret Files) a timeline of the two main focus timelines of "New 52", the "post-FC timeline, DC-Classic" which deals with legacy and characters like Dick Grayson, Donna Troy and Kara-Zor-El dealing with the loss of the Trinity and other "ageing" heroes, and then you've got your full "marketable blank-slate" timeline (DC-New) with the young "iconic" versions of the older heroes that you can use for your adaptations and your mass market merchandising.

This approach essentially worked for 30-40 years pre-Internet so I don't buy the idea that any new readers - who wanted to get into the classic narrative - couldn't catch up, particularly if DC published an "essential reading" list, or even an "official timeline" (which they've done before, they just rarely put the effort into sticking to it in any kind of consistent way).

[Factor]

The New 52's lack of planning is proof that any reboot would need to be contained to a smaller line, at least at first.
Otherwise, DC would have to stop production of their monthly comics for a while to properly plan a new continuity, which is obviously not a good financial decision.
That's why the Ultimate Universe worked for so long. They have few creators woring on it and taking their time on developing the new world,
It eventually didn't last because the UU started getting old and having its own baggage.
DC could try and avoid that by picking a different scheduling system and a seasonal format that made stories accessible to new readers with the start of every new arc.

[Shamrock Holmes]

The New 52's lack of planning is proof that any reboot would need to be contained to a smaller line, at least at first.
Otherwise, DC would have to stop production of their monthly comics for a while to properly plan a new continuity, which is obviously not a good financial decision.
That's why the Ultimate Universe worked for so long. They have few creators woring on it and taking their time on developing the new world,
It eventually didn't last because the UU started getting old and having its own baggage.
DC could try and avoid that by picking a different scheduling system and a seasonal format that made stories accessible to new readers with the start of every new arc.

I pretty much agree with this.

[superduperman]

… The Phantom Menace?

Maybe we could talk Lucas out of releasing it.

[scary harpy]

I think that the biggest missed opportunity with the New 52 reboot is that they didn't plan it out in advance and clearly lay out what had changed and what hadn't. ...

The New 52's lack of planning is proof that any reboot would need to be contained to a smaller line, at least at first.
Otherwise, DC would have to stop production of their monthly comics for a while to properly plan a new continuity, which is obviously not a good financial decision.
...

DC has never planned out their reboots.

It's the same problem over and over again: we'll reboot this but not that...it's selling well now (but later it isn't...even later it's a garbage fire).

So, if DC was going to hard reboot in, let say, 2020; then they should have been planning this out for, let's say, the previous 2½ years! (But they don't. I don't think they are capable.)

[superduperman]

Reboots used to be a thing they did once in a blue moon out of necessity. Now it's an excuse every time sales start to drop. There were a number of things going on around 1985 that made COIE necessary. Much as I had my issues with what was thrown out. Flash was on the verge of cancellation. So was WW. At one point, Marvel was offered DC but turned it down. That's how bad things got. Now it just seems like they do it so Didio can keep his job. This is not how you run a company. I don't think another reboot will matter as long as the same old guard is in there. They will just screw it up. Even if you made DC the most realistic, believable, books on the shelf, as long as everyone there has their own agenda, they'll screw it up with infighting inside of two years. I hate to say this but maybe it actually would be in DC's best interest at this point if the suits at Warners took over. 1) They can't do a worse job than what we have now. Or, at the very least it would be hard to. 2) Their bottom line would be profit. Not turning the main DCU into their own personal fan fiction above all else. Lee wants to turn DC into Image where creators just do their own thing, continuity be damned. And Didio sees them solely as his personal toybox. Johns, much as I have my issues with him, at least sees the company as a business that has to make a profit. Maybe they can coax Jeanette Kahn out of retirement. Whip the company back into shape.

[Anthony Shaw]

Reboots used to be a thing they did once in a blue moon out of necessity. Now it's an excuse every time sales start to drop. There were a number of things going on around 1985 that made COIE necessary. Much as I had my issues with what was thrown out. Flash was on the verge of cancellation. So was WW. At one point, Marvel was offered DC but turned it down. That's how bad things got. Now it just seems like they do it so Didio can keep his job. This is not how you run a company. I don't think another reboot will matter as long as the same old guard is in there. They will just screw it up. Even if you made DC the most realistic, believable, books on the shelf, as long as everyone there has their own agenda, they'll screw it up with infighting inside of two years. I hate to say this but maybe it actually would be in DC's best interest at this point if the suits at Warners took over. 1) They can't do a worse job than what we have now. Or, at the very least it would be hard to. 2) Their bottom line would be profit. Not turning the main DCU into their own personal fan fiction above all else. Lee wants to turn DC into Image where creators just do their own thing, continuity be damned. And Didio sees them solely as his personal toybox. Johns, much as I have my issues with him, at least sees the company as a business that has to make a profit. Maybe they can coax Jeanette Kahn out of retirement. Whip the company back into shape.

I agree with all this.

[scary harpy]

Reboots used to be a thing they did once in a blue moon out of necessity. Now it's an excuse every time sales start to drop. There were a number of things going on around 1985 that made COIE necessary. Much as I had my issues with what was thrown out. Flash was on the verge of cancellation. So was WW. At one point, Marvel was offered DC but turned it down. That's how bad things got. Now it just seems like they do it so Didio can keep his job. This is not how you run a company. I don't think another reboot will matter as long as the same old guard is in there. They will just screw it up. Even if you made DC the most realistic, believable, books on the shelf, as long as everyone there has their own agenda, they'll screw it up with infighting inside of two years. I hate to say this but maybe it actually would be in DC's best interest at this point if the suits at Warners took over. 1) They can't do a worse job than what we have now. Or, at the very least it would be hard to. 2) Their bottom line would be profit. Not turning the main DCU into their own personal fan fiction above all else. Lee wants to turn DC into Image where creators just do their own thing, continuity be damned. And Didio sees them solely as his personal toybox. Johns, much as I have my issues with him, at least sees the company as a business that has to make a profit. Maybe they can coax Jeanette Kahn out of retirement. Whip the company back into shape.

I agree with all this.

I also agree.

[Flash Gordon]

NO!

Crucial is crucial....It isnt important who says it, but its CRUCIAL for the character...It ISNT a matter of taste, but its what DEFINES the Character, the milestones..

Like if you ask for CRUCIAL Batman Stories (the MILESTONES!!) which really are important for the Batman History you have few:

-Batman Origin
-Knightfall
-Killing Joke
-Robins
-Death of Jason, him coming back
-Origin of Joker

The Rest isnt important, this are the Stories/Events which are remarkable and play also NOWADAY a crucial role....The other stories could have happened or not, but dont play any role if they happened or not..

I mean its like a life (365 days x 80, but many days could have happened or not, really important are only few: Wedding,leaving school,beginning to work...)

I love Batman and have read way too many Batman comics in my time, and none of those stories are crucial to me. I mean unless you're using Miller's Year One as "Batman's Origin".

I don't care about Knightfall. I'm tired of hearing about the Killing Joke. I think Dick should have been the only Robin, with Damien taking over as the current Robin. Jason Todd is not important. The Joker doesn't need an origin.

Gimme some Denny O'Neil Batman, some Neal Adams. Ra's al Ghul! Babs as Batgirl! Cass as Black Bat!

Everything is relative. Everyone has prefences.

[Bruce Wayne]

DC has never planned out their reboots.

The Post-Crisis Reboot was supposedly planned out several years beforehand. New 52 was probably planned out about the time of Harras's ascension to the EiC role (so probably a year before hand).

[BohemiaDrinker]

The Post-Crisis Reboot was supposedly planned out several years beforehand. New 52 was probably planned out about the time of Harras's ascension to the EiC role (so probably a year before hand).

All accounts I heard give COIE about 3 years planning time. It's worth noticing that it was also completely uncharted territory back then: both as a line wide event and a reboot.

[Restingvoice]

All accounts I heard give COIE about 3 years planning time. It's worth noticing that it was also completely uncharted territory back then: both as a line wide event and a reboot.

Now that makes sense for a reboot.

I can only guess they planned Rebirth at least half a year beforehand because that's when Tim Seeley and Tom King were taken off Grayson, Titans Hunt and Lois and Clark started, because half a year before that, DC You started and it seems like they're pretty committed to that, at least according to the promotion.

As for New 52, the only thing I know was Flashpoint wasn't supposed to be a reboot catalyst, and Snyder told in an interview that Didio told them to write the best version of the characters according to you, the writers. That's all I know.

[superduperman]

My understanding was that Rebirth was "planned" after people walked out of the DCYou talk at ComiCon. So I doubt we even got a year of planning on that one. This fits with what was going on in the Super-books at that time. Nuperman was set to meet Superdad but they kept pushing it back. When they finally "met" for all of five minutes before Nuperman died, Superdad then took over as the "official" Superman. If I had to guess, I'd say that probably wasn't how it was originally planned.

[scary harpy]

The Post-Crisis Reboot was supposedly planned out several years beforehand. New 52 was probably planned out about the time of Harras's ascension to the EiC role (so probably a year before hand).

All accounts I heard give COIE about 3 years planning time. It's worth noticing that it was also completely uncharted territory back then: both as a line wide event and a reboot.

Now that makes sense for a reboot.

I can only guess they planned Rebirth at least half a year beforehand because that's when Tim Seeley and Tom King were taken off Grayson, Titans Hunt and Lois and Clark started, because half a year before that, DC You started and it seems like they're pretty committed to that, at least according to the promotion.

As for New 52, the only thing I know was Flashpoint wasn't supposed to be a reboot catalyst, and Snyder told in an interview that Didio told them to write the best version of the characters according to you, the writers. That's all I know.

My understanding was that Rebirth was "planned" after people walked out of the DCYou talk at ComiCon. So I doubt we even got a year of planning on that one. This fits with what was going on in the Super-books at that time. Nuperman was set to meet Superdad but they kept pushing it back. When they finally "met" for all of five minutes before Nuperman died, Superdad then took over as the "official" Superman. If I had to guess, I'd say that probably wasn't how it was originally planned.

They can call it "planning" if they want. I look at the results and see a dumpster fire.

If that is DC's best, then they are incompetent and incapable.